Gripping or expanding device having three or more pivoted jaw shanks operated by twohand grips



Feb. 20, 1951 c. B. HODELL 2,542,027

GRIPPING 0R EXPANDING DEVICE HAVING THREE OR MORE.

PIVOTED JAW-SHANKS OPERATED BY TWO HAND GRIPS Filed July 29, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGS.

Inventor.

\ Cop e Bishop Hodell.

per Q-muuj Attorney.

Feb. 20, 1951 c. B. HODELL 2,542,027

GRIPPING 0R EXPANDING DEVICE HAVING THREE OR MORE PIVOTED JAW-SHANKS OPERATED BY TWO HAND GRIPS Filed July 29, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor C e Bishop Hod ll. per &-

Patented Feb. 20, 1951 GRIPPING OR EXPANDING DEVICE HAVING THREE OR MORE PIVOTED JAW SHANKS OPERATED BY TWO HAND GRIPS Cope Bishop Hodell, Coventry, England; May Elizabeth Hodell administratrix of said Cope Bishop Hodell, deceased Application July 29, 1947, Serial No. 764,533 In Great Britain September 1, 1945 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires September 1, 1965 Claims.

This invention comprises improvements connected with gripping or expanding devices of the pivoted kind Which can be opened and closed by means of a pair of handles associated therewith.

The object of the present invention is to provide such a device embodying three or more jaws which are adapted to be operated with one pair of handles.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pair of gripping tongs according to this invention.

Figure 2 is a section at 2-2 in Figure 1 on an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 shows a perspective view of each of the tong members detached.

Figure l is a perspective view of an expander according to this invention.

Figure 5 is a section at 55 in Figure 4 on an enlarged scale, and

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the expander members detached.

In carrying the present invention into practice, as shown in the accompanying drawings, its application will be described with the use of three gripping or expanding members although it will be appreciated that from the following description a larger number may be used, if desired.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1-3 of the drawings, three jaws l, 8 and 9 are independently pivotally mounted on pivots I0, ll, l2 which radiate from a common centre I3, the jaws l and 9- only being provided with handles [4, [5. The adjacent surfaces I6, which are slightly concavely curved, of all three jaws I, 8, 9 when in their closed position, as shown in Figure 2, are radial to a centre l3 and bisect the angles between the axes Ill, ll, [2 when, therefore, the handles l4, l5 carrying the two'jaws l and 9 are opened or closed, the jaws 1, 8 and 9 will be opened or closed to an equal and proportionate extent.

With reference to the construction of an expander, shown in Figures 4-6 of the drawings, the three jaws l1, l8 and I9 are arranged on the pivots 20, 2|, 22 are disposed 120 apart and radiate from the common junction 23. In this case the surfaces 24 of each jaw co-operate with each of the other two jaws which are also formed at 120 to each other.

The two jaws l1 and I9 only are provided with handles 25, 26 which upon being closed together will cause the upper ends of said jaws to move outwardly simultaneously to an equal extent, whilst when the handles are moved outwardly the said jaws will close simultaneously towards one another.

In the case of the expander the common junction 23 may take the form of a ring from which the pivots 20, 2|, 22 radiate so as to permit any length of cable or the like being passed through the device in instances where the device is used to position a band for identification purposes, etc., on the cable.

The co-acting surfaces I6 or 24 are concavely curved for the purpose of enabling the jaws 7, 8, 9 or I1, I8 and [9 to be opened to a sufficient extent for practical requirements, the degree of concave curvature necessary for this purpose depends on the length and width of each surface [6 or 24, and in practice it is found that for a coacting surface 1 inches long and an average width of A of an inch the curvature of each surface should be such that in the closed condition of the device the clearance between adjacent coacting surfaces reaches a maximum of 3 2' of an inch midway along the length of the surfaces. As compared with the present type of device having two jaws, the improved device though operated by a pair of handles in the same way has the advantage of providing a large number of contact points for gripping or expanding purposes. For this reason the invention may be applied with advantage to coal tongs, pliers and the like gripping devices and to glove and ring stretchers and like expanding devices.

I claim:

1. A gripping or expanding device comprising a plurality of pivoted jaws; a plurality of pivots radially disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis of the device, each of said pivots pivotally carrying one of said jaws; and co-acting concavely curved faces on said jaws in the region of said pivots, so that on a jaw being operated about the pivot therefor relative to the other jaws, due to the co-action of said faces, the said other jaws operate in synchronism.

2. A gripping or expanding device comprising a plurality of pivoted jaws; a plurality of pivots radially disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis of the device, each of said pivots pivotally carrying one of said jaws; and co-acting concavely curved faces on said jaws in the region of said pivots, the planes of co-action of said faces being parallel with respect to the said longitudinal axis of the device, so that on a jaw being operated about the pivot therefor relative to the other jaws, due to the co-action of said faces, the said other jaws operate in synchronism.

3. A gripping or expanding device comprising a plurality of pivoted jaws; a plurality of pivots radially disposed with respect to a longitudinal axis of the device, each of said pivots pivotally carrying one of said jaws; and co-acting concavely curved faces on said jaws in the region of said pivots, the planes of co-action of said faces being radial with respect to the said longitudinal axis of the device, so that on a jaw being operated about the pivot therefor relative to the other jaws, due to the co-action of said faces, the said other jaws operate in synchronism.

4. A gripping or expanding device comprising a plurality of pivoted jaws; a centre part; a plurality of pivots radiating from said centre part; each of said pivots pivotally carrying one of said jaws; and co-acting concavely curved faces on said jaws in the region of said pivots, so that on a jaw being operated about the pivot therefor relative to the other jaws, due to the co-action of said faces, the other jaws operate in synchronism.

5. A gripping or expanding device comprising a plurality of pivoted jaws; a centre part; a plurality of pivots radiating from said centre part, each of said pivots pivotally carrying one of said jaws; co-acting concavely curved faces on said jaws in the region of said pivots; and operating extensions to a pair of said jaws so that on said extensions being operated, due to the co-action of said faces, the jaws operate in synchronism.

COPE BISHOP HODELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,095,054 Wiesenfeld Apr. 28, 1914 1,806,339 Ferris et a1 May 19, 1931 2,214,985 Bachmann Sept. 17, 1940 

